As evening crept in, the reporters trooped back, their notebooks bulging with notes.
Inside the Base Chief's somber office.
Vice Admiral Momonga was slumped on the sofa. His eyes were empty, and he looked like he hadn't moved in hours.
He had just promised Fleet Admiral Sengoku something important, and then this mess happened. And this time, it wasn't even really Roya's fault; it was just something the Marines at this base did all on their own!
G-1 Branch? More like a bunch of wild punks!
Roya walked into the room and saw Momonga sprawled on the sofa. He looked so defeated that Roya almost felt bad for him.
"Senior Brother Momonga?"
"Ah, you're here, Junior Brother Roya."
Momonga looked up at Roya, surprisingly without any anger. His voice was strangely calm, like nothing was wrong.
"I've finished all the paperwork for the 11th Division. A warship just for you is ready and waiting. The signed orders are all right here. Take them."
"Besides your own men, Smoker will be joining you."
"Don't wait any longer; leave tonight."
"And feel free not to come back; as far as I'm concerned, you don't exist anymore."
"Well, that's all I wanted to say."
Roya stared at the mountain of official documents on the table. He felt a shiver down his spine. How did he get all this done so fast? I thought it would take at least two weeks!
And Senior Brother is acting really weird!
Roya picked up the papers and asked, trying to sound gentle, "Senior Brother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Still breathing."
Momonga barely opened his eyes, waving his hand weakly as if to shoo him away. "Junior Brother Roya, if you really care about me, just leave. Seeing your face is the last thing I need right now."
"..."
Roya touched his own face.
Is my face really that awful?
"Okay, I'm going."
Roya turned to go, but he paused at the door. After thinking for a moment, he turned back and gave his Senior Brother a small, encouraging fist pump.
"Senior Brother, you can do it!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut instantly!
"Whoa, that was quick!"
Roya jumped back, surprised. He hadn't even seen his Senior Brother move before the door was slammed. That's the power of a Headquarters Vice Admiral for you!
"Well, time to get going!"
Down at the docks, a huge warship was waiting, its hull emblazoned with the numbers G-1-11. Searchlights blazed, ready to set sail at a moment's notice.
"That thing is massive!"
Roya arrived at the docks with his crew, staring up at the warship in awe. He hadn't expected to get such a top-of-the-line vessel.
This was a Buster Call-class warship, capable of carrying a thousand Marines--a true monster of the seas!
"Colonel, Smoker's here!"
"And Colonel Hina, too!"
In the distance, Smoker came into view, with his sidekick Tashigi at his side. Hina was with them, too, carrying a suitcase. It looked like she was joining them.
Roya blinked. "Oh? Colonel Hina, are you joining the 11th Division as well?"
"Vice Admiral Momonga arranged it. Hina is temporarily assigned to the 11th Division; otherwise, you probably couldn't even get the warship moving. Hmph, Hina is not happy."
Hina looked annoyed.
Joining the 11th Division, a Pirate Extermination Squad, was a good thing. There would be more chances to prove herself than if she stayed at the base.
But as a Colonel, having to take orders from the "Black Hair" guy was irritating. She had more experience, after all.
As for Vice Admiral Momonga's plan, on the one hand, he probably doubted that Roya and his crew could even operate a warship this size.
Besides Hina, there were 100 Technical Marines on board, responsible for running the ship, along with some Logistics Personnel.
On the other hand, even though the 11th Division was new, it was an official unit with a promising future.
And since Black Hair and Smoker were both unreliable, a dependable Officer was needed to keep things in order. But since Black Hair was "only" a Colonel, sending a Commodore or Rear Admiral would be overkill.
So, Vice Admiral Momonga had assigned her to the team to keep these guys in line and stop them from getting into too much trouble.
Roya was thrilled. Getting a powerhouse Colonel for free was a great deal. Senior Brother Momonga really cares about me.
"Everyone, get on board!"
The warship began to move, slowly gliding into the darkness.
Inside the warship's conference room, the Lieutenants gathered.
"Lu Yun, have you finished the headcount?"
"Yes, sir."
Lu Yun pulled out a list and began to read: "G-1 Branch, 11th Division: a total of 337 Marines, 11 Ensigns, 4 Officers, and 50 Logistics Personnel."
"Good!"
Roya nodded.
Compared to other large warships, it was a pretty small crew, but having so many direct subordinates as a Headquarters Colonel was already pretty impressive.
"Let's split into squads, a hundred people per squad!"
Roya looked at Smoker. "Smoker, you'll lead the First Squad, okay?"
"No problem."
Smoker's expression was calm.
Roya turned to Bartolomeo. This kid was just a private, but that didn't matter. "Barto, you'll be Captain of the Second Squad!"
"Huh?"
Bartolomeo looked unhappy, pointing at Smoker as he complained, "Why am I ranked lower than that guy?"
"You got a problem with that?"
Roya narrowed his eyes.
Barto backed down.
"No, sir!"
"Good."
Roya nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Hina. "Colonel Hina, you'll be Captain of the Third Squad and oversee the operation of the warship. I'll also put you in charge of logistics."
"Okay, Hina is grudgingly satisfied."
Hina knew this meant she was in charge of the hundred Technical Marines. It was acceptable, but she would rather be fighting.
"Colonel Roya!"
Fullbody raised his hand, his face eager. "I'd like to be assigned to the Third Squad. I'm great at housework!"
"Me too!"
Jango raised his hand as well. "Colonel Roya, I'm also very good at logistics, especially organizing entertainment!"
"..."
Roya's face fell.
You two are just smitten with Hina, aren't you!
"Granted."
Roya shook his head, speechless. Ever since Fullbody and Jango had seen Hina, they had been acting goofy, clearly lovesick.
The problem is, losers never win!
"I'll let Lu Yun handle assigning people to each squad. Alright, the 11th Division's first meeting is adjourned."
As the meeting ended, everyone relaxed.
"Colonel Roya, where are we headed now?"
"Hmm, that's a good question!"
Roya stroked his chin.
Since it was nighttime, sailing was more difficult. It wasn't just hard to tell where you were going; the weather in the New World was also dangerous.
Right now, the warship was drifting on the sea.
Proper sailing would have to wait until morning.
"Let's head to G-5 Branch first!"
"G-5 Branch?"
Everyone looked surprised. Why were they going to G-5? The 11th Division was a Pirate Extermination Squad; shouldn't they be hunting pirates?
"To pay a visit!"
Roya's eyes shone.
Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
He'd go to G-5 Branch first to check things out and see what the situation was like.
He happened to know people at G-5 Branch. They also knew the surrounding waters well, so it would be better to get some information from them than to wander around blindly on his own.
His goal was the Base Chief of G-5!
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 298 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
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]